


Education

by orphan_account



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adulthood, College, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Funny, Human, Humor, Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, The Author Regrets Everything, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-21 03:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14275557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Kat, a normal girl living a normal life, begins her final year of college.And her first lesson in love.





	1. Love 101

March 1st, 2018.  

 Katherine ‘kat’ Patterson was absolutely not worried for the new school year. After all, she was in college already, being afraid of the first day of school was for high schoolers right? No reason to be afraid.

Sure, that particular semester was famous for being extra difficult, because of the high number of classes she had to take, and the content in each and every one of them wasn’t to laugh at, but she wasn’t worried. She had been always the first –okay maybe not the first, but she had always been in the group that was the top in each course she had been in.  Her grades were more than decent; there was no reason to think this semester wouldn’t be the same.

Those were the thoughts that roamed the young woman’s mind as she walked down the road, making sure to not become too absent minded and miss her stop. She lived close to campus, thankfully enough, since she had agreed to room with her best friend Milly for about four years. Not that the old, very expensive college dorms weren’t attractive, after all, who wouldn’t want to be forced to share the most intimate aspects of their lives with a perfect stranger assigned by a computer, right? But as appealing as that might have been, Kat was very fond of her friend Milly Hawkins, having met her all the way back in high school and all. Even if they were both very different, which made their friendship all that more weird. Heck, they hadn’t even liked each other when they first met, Milly being more the party girl kind of gal and Katherine being a complete bookworm, it was only bound for Milly to start picking on her. A lot. Even current Milly had to accept that she was very, very lucky Katherine had found it in her to not tell on her with a teacher, considering all the pranks and annoying nicknames she had pulled on her. She didn’t care if it was funny; throwing her cream dessert at her face on picture day was NOT something Kat had appreciated back then.

But that all changed the day they were assigned to work in a group project together, back when they were sophomores.  After a lot of arguing and bickering and destroying her dad’s study room with a leaf blower –that god only knows where Milly got it from- they somehow ended up being friends, good friends even. They started hanging out at lunchtime, Milly eventually started dragging ‘Kat’ to her parties, and before any of them knew it they were having sleepovers and study sessions that followed all the way till senior year. Kat had been really afraid that their friendship would end after graduation. As much as she cared deeply about Milly, she wasn’t going to pretend the distance wasn’t going to damage their friendship. Long distance was hard enough even with romantic partners that called and video chatted everyday, high school friends would inevitably fade into nostalgia induced-pleasant memories only meant to recall late at night after spending ten hours studying for next week’s exam. After spending five years in a different state without having any kind of contact, you probably wouldn’t even be able to recall the sound of their voice, let alone recognize them if they crossed you on the street. But in the end, all those fears faded away the day she had been pleasantly surprised by her friend telling her she had applied to the same University as her, and had been finally accepted.

They had been very lucky to be both accepted, and even luckier to find out that the buildings where they each had class weren’t too far apart. Which was a rarity, considering that Milly was going for art, as in actress art–the girl just LOVED the attention, even if she would never admit it- while Kat was aiming for business major .They had spent the first four years moving from cheap apartment to even cheaper apartment, since Freshmen College students aren’t known for having much cash to spare. That meant spending most of their studying sessions with worn out books and as much ramen as needed to quickly become sick at the sight of ramen. 

Luckily for them, they had both landed part time jobs that were both interesting and had not too terrible payments. Milly was working as part time assistant for one actor that Kat couldn’t remember his name, but Milly had described as ‘theatrical genius’ and ‘so pretty your eyes hurt if you look directly at him’.

Kat laughed warmly at that memory. She had never understood how easy it was for her friend Milly to get a crush on almost every relatively handsome guy she met. But considering how beautiful Milly herself was- being a charming, charismatic, blonde, slim young woman- it probably was because she had been used to receiving one too many roses every Valentine’s Day and her phone to never stop ringing with new suitors ready to take her out on fancy dates every weekend, meaning she had grown up used to beautiful bachelors being a constant in her life. Milly was a terrific actress, but Kat was fairly sure her looks alone would be enough to get her far in the dramatic arts world.

Katherine, on the other hand, was also very pretty but not as half as she was reserved. Being the shy, introverted girl she was, obviously she would never aim for that kind of job. In all honesty it was also because the career she had chosen had irregular timetables, so she needed a more flexible job in other to be able to both go to class and pay the rent, since attendance was a very strict requirement in Flynn Van University. That’s how she had ended applying as part-time librarian at the local library during the afternoon shifts, and much to her delight she had been immediately accepted! (It was probably because no one else wanted the job, though).

So yeah, now she was a senior business major, heading towards her first day of class on her last year of University. She was looking good and feeling good. Obviously not completely shaking on the inside at the prospect of meeting a bunch of people she had never seen before in her life and a teacher that could or could not hold a grudge against her for the whole semester over something insignificant or completely beyond her control –like showing up late one too many times because the darn weather decided it just HAD to deluge in the specific half an hour she needed to make it to the classroom. Yeah, happened before. She doesn’t like to talk about it.

She was close to the building; she could already see it in the distance. She kept on walking, finally entering the campus and soon she was standing in front of the lecture room she was going to have her first class in. She raised a hand to open the door but was immediately interrupted by a buzzing sound coming out of her pocket. Realizing it was her phone she picked up and smiled, seeing it was a message from none other than Milly.

Milly: Hey dude! Good luck in your classes, you gonna kick ass  <kiss emoji>

Kat: First; thank you Milly I needed that : ) and second: language, Milly.

Milly: lmaooo god you’re such a prude. Lemme know if you get any hot classmates k?

Kat: I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be paying attention to the professor and not analyzing how handsome my fellow classmates are.

Milly: Wow Kat, didn’t know you were into older dudes lol                                        

Kat: what no! That’s not what I meant! Ugh, never mind, I got to get going anyways, I’m not going to be late on the first day of class when I’m literally standing in front of the door texting like an idiot instead of entering the classroom.

Milly: <laughing emoji> k, k, just lemme know how it went when you get back. I want all juicy details about how for the first time in your life you couldn’t answer a question because you were too busy drooling over the professor’s pretty face :p

Kat: you’re the worst.

Milly: love you too <3

She rolled her eyes with a smile, gosh how could she be so annoying yet lovable at the same time? She decided to shake it off, especially the part where she was implied to be about to ‘start drooling over her professor’. She opened the door and froze a bit, seeing a bunch of students already there and now staring at her. She took in a deep breath and picked a seat, in the front row of the class obviously. She took out a notebook from her bag and set up everything she needed to start taking notes –as soon as the teacher showed up. Right now it was just her and a handful of strangers, and the lump in her stomach. She told herself it was simply first day nerves, but a little voice told her it was probably due to residual fear caused by the conversation she had just had with Milly.

Wait, fear of what? Of getting a crush on her teacher? That was ridiculous. It would probably never happen, not even in a million years. She was a serious student, already a senior, that kind of thing was more a freshman deal since they are the type of people to be more prone to doing stupid stuff like that. You know, people that had just recently received the taste of sweet, sweet freedom from being on their own for the very first time and plus having deprived libidos and wild teenage imagination, that naturally led many of them to fantasize about love affairs with their teachers like a bad romantic comedy. Besides, every professor Kat had ever had was either an old close-minded man or a lady. Which was why she’d never, not even in a hundred years get a crush on-

“Good morning class, I hope you’re ready to get started on today’s lecture.”

She snapped up her head at the deep yet soothing voice-and her jaw dropped down to the floor. Looking at the teacher’s desk there was not an old grumpy guy like she had expected, but a very, _very_ handsome man like she had never seen before. He was tall, fairly young but obviously older than her and had soft looking brown hair. He was wearing a pair of thick glasses that somehow only flattered his face, framing the most piercing brown eyes Kat had ever seen in her twenty-two years f life. He put down a suitcase on the teacher’s desk, and turning back to the class he smiled, showing off white teeth in a very smooth grin. He stood up straight and had an aura of confidence; even when he was silent his imposing presence had something that made Kat’s heart beat loudly in her chest.

Oh no.


	2. Chapter 2

The lecture went smoothly. Or at least that was what Kat told herself. Or so she _wanted_ to tell herself. Truth was, it had been quite…silent, on her part. She tried her best to stay unnoticed, not daring to raise her hand whenever professor Lovel –yes, that was his name. Don’t laugh at her too loudly- asked a question. She wouldn’t dare to ask him anything either, which was very rare for someone like her. But hey, it was only the first day of school, no reason to ask too much about nothing when they had barely given any content right? It obviously wasn’t because she would get unreasonably nervous at the possibility of her voice cracking, or answering wrongly and making a fool of herself in front of her hand-HIGHLY knowledgeable teacher. Yes, that. That was it. Nothing else.

She was now walking towards her shared apartment back from working at the library, doing her best to avoid those thoughts. Her home was set in an old building a couple blocks from the campus she attended, so she made it in no time. She just had to walk up the stairs, get her lungs back in her body once she reached the fifth floor and open the second door to the left with her set of keys. Waiting for her inside was her roommate and best friend, the well known Milly.

“Heyyyy, you!” Milly greeted her from the couch. She was doing her nails, Kat noticed immediately, mostly from the strong scent of nail polisher in the room. “How did the first day of school go?”

Kat made a small frown at the strong smell, “Milly, we talked about this. Can’t you do that in your own room?”

“But we were having a Disney movie marathon tonight to celebrate your first day of class tonight!” Milly protested. “I can’t miss that!”

“Wait, we are? Since when?”

“Since I bought this microwave popcorn that was on sale today!” She shook the package in the air proudly.

“Ugh, fine. Just let me put my things in my room. You can pick the first movie, but better get that popcorn going by the time I’m back.”

“WAIT!” Milly stopped her from disappearing through the corridor that led to their rooms, “you haven’t told me how your first day went! Met any hot guys?”

Milly looked at her expectantly, just to burst out laughing at the deep blush that took over Kat’s face. “Ohhhhhh, who is it?! Is he cute?! Did you guys make out?! Did you get kicked out of class for making out too much?!”

“NO!” Kat interrupted her rambling, still with a flushed face mind you. “Just, make the popcorn while I get changed ok?”

Milly just giggled, “Alright-a Kata, but you better hurry. I want details!”

‘Kata’ groaned, obviously annoyed, and headed over to her room. She had been through enough for one day, but apparently, it was far from over.

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh my GOD, for real?!”

Milly burst out laughing, rolling over on the couch and making Kat even more angry and embarrassed than she already was. “Are you finished?”

“So, he’s like, a handsome late twenty-something and you’re all over him on the first day?!” She laughed, “Dude, I was joking earlier, never thought you’d actually DO it!”

“I didn’t’ ‘do’ anything!” Kat protested, “And I wasn’t ‘all over him’!”

“Aww, you’re on denial. That’s so adorable.”

“Shut up!” She threw a cushion on her face, inciting more giggles, “I just said he was…handsome, that’s all. Don’t make it a bigger deal than it actually is.”

“Dude, it IS a big deal! You have a crush on your teacher!” Missy smiled widely.

“I do NOT.” The blush on her face said otherwise, but that wasn’t the moment to dwell on that. “Look, I just, it was probably just first day nerves pulling a prank on me. Tomorrow I’ll be fine, give it a week tops.”

“Suuuuure man, and I’m totally going to tell my acting team about that one time we stole the principal’s toupee and took our senior pictures with it –actually maybe I should, it’d be hilarious.”

“That was YOU and it was YOUR idea!”  

“And I take great pride in it.” Milly mocked bowed in accomplishment. “For real though, what are you gonna do about your hot professor? Gonna drop out of class or try and be discreet when you smooch behind campus?”

“No and absolutely NOT,” Kat frowned with red cheeks, “Katherine Fabienne Patterson has and will NEVER drop out of a class. Ever!” She grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in her mouth, “anf I’mf not gobba-” she swallowed, “smooch him either. Even if I was interested-”

“Which you are.”

“I’m a student, he is a teacher, too inappropriate.”

“That’s why ‘discreet’ is a keyword in my previous sentence,” Milly said in between popcorn chewing. “Just don’t get caught and it should be fine.”

“Last time you said that we got detention for six weeks.”

“Well maybe we wouldn’t have if you just hadn’t forgotten the code word that told me when the teacher would be coming in!”

“That’s exactly why I said ‘Milly, put that fried chicken away, Miss Mackenzie’s coming in!’”

They stared at each other with angry faces-just before bursting out laughing. Boy, that had always been something that both Kat and Milly loved about their friendship: they would always end up laughing, especially when reminiscing about their troublesome past.  

Once the laughing subsumed, Milly spoke up again, “For real though, maybe you should go for it. I know it’s a lot of red-tape but you hadn’t had a boyfriend in like, forever. About time you got back out there.”

“Hey! That’s not true, I had a date last year!”

“You mean that one time you stayed up late to reorganize the library with that Dave guy? He barely even knew you were there! And you hated him! You were always complaining how he would call in sick right when you needed to study or stuff like that. Don’t think I’ve forgotten! ”

“Still counts.”

Milly let out a sigh, “Whatever, just go and do nerd homework or something. I gotta do some exercises for my acting class and whatnot.” She stood up and stretched, “Gotta get my acting on, you know what I mean?”

“I thought that was what the job with the actor –what-his-name- was for?”

“What? Nonono, working for Mr. Jojo is nothing like my performance classes!” Milly said with bright eyes, “He’s so amazing, you wouldn’t believe! The emotion, the _passion_ he puts in his work, it’s like he is ABSORBED by his character!” She sat back down with a dreamy sigh, “man I wish I could do that someday.”

“Are you kidding? Milly, you are a terrific actress!” Kat objected, “you have everything and anything it takes to succeed, I doubt mister talent has anything you don’t. You can absolutely do this.”

Milly smiled, “Thanks K. For real though, I gotta go. See ya!”

And with that, Kat was left alone in the living room, enjoying the comfort of the couch all by herself.

Since the movie was already showing the ending credits, she decided to just clean up the popcorn bowl and put the DVDs away, and leave to her own room. Closing the door behind her she looked at the clock, it was 10:00 pm already. Time to do whatever homework she had, which she remembered wasn’t much. It HAD been the first day after all.

A couple minutes later she had already checked twice her homework, and it had only been fifteen minutes after starting. She decided to put the books away and just make a nest in her bed, where she placed her laptop and started watching her favorite anime. It had been like this for some time, years to be honest. Ever since she moved in with Milly her nights had been invaded by spontaneous adventures and all-nighters meant to catch up with her studies, which had the collateral of making her used to living with very little sleep. She had found ways to fill in those hours, whether with studying, her laptop, anime or in this case- drifting off to the memory of that day, dragging her back to the classroom.

Back with Mr. Lovel.


End file.
